said Shea, still smiling, ‘I was about out of small beer, and I haven’t eaten anything in ages. Do you mind…?’
‘Tuck in!’ said Flick, picking up the loaf again, breaking off a lump and passing it to him.
She watched him eat, noticing the way he wiped the grease off his chin from a piece of cold chicken. He didn’t seem so bad; so what if he was a Scav?
‘Sorry I couldn’t get here yesterday,’ she said. ‘Only the town got invaded by Kingsmen yesterday.’ She watched him closely, looking for any reaction. ‘Apparently they were looking for a runaway Scav. Closed the whole town down; no one in and no one out.’
Was that a reaction? She thought there had been a very slight twitch, or had she imagined it? Or maybe he was very good at controlling his reactions. That wasn’t getting her anywhere.
He smiled. ‘It’s not your fault,’ he said, ‘I did wonder for a while if you would ever come back, and I wouldn’t have blamed you if you didn’t. But you’re here now and that’s what matters.’ He picked at his teeth with a fingernail. ‘Are you sure they said runaway Scav though? Perhaps you misheard and they were looking for a runaway slave? ’
Flick hadn’t considered this. ‘We don’t have slaves round here. At least, I’ve never seen one,’ she said. ‘But they’d be easy to spot with their tattooed faces.’
Shea nodded. ‘Well, they’ve gone now. So either they found who they’re looking for, or they’re looking somewhere else.’
‘So, are you a Scav?’ This is it, Flick thought, moment of truth…
Shea was silent for a moment, looking at Flick intently. ‘Does it matter?’
She flushed. Does it matter? What sort of an answer was that? He didn’t deny it. If he wasn’t a Scav he would have said no, surely.
‘Do you want to come back?’ Flick asked all of a sudden. Where did that come from? ‘The housekeeper is dying to meet you.’ Worse!
‘You have a housekeeper?’
Flick felt flustered. This wasn’t helping and now she was sounding like an idiot. ‘No. The inn has a housekeeper, and I run the inn with my dad. You could stay.’ Better .
‘And the housekeeper is dying to meet me? How many people know I’m here?’
Aargh! I’ve really dug a hole for myself here .
‘Just Maggie–the housekeeper. We’ve been friends since forever and she can keep a secret.’
‘And I’d be staying there as a guest? I’ve got no money.’
Flick nodded. She was wondering now how she could sneak him in. Obviously she’d have to go home and get the trailer for her bike, and then sneak him past the guards on the gate and into the inn without being seen. And then she’d have to explain to her dad why the guest in room five didn’t seem to be paying his bill… Why did she never think of these things before opening her mouth?
‘Thank you for your most generous offer, but I’m okay here,’ Shea said. I’ve got a comfortable bed and a warm fire and a roof–well, nearly a roof, and a nice girl bringing me food. What more could I possibly want? And you don’t want any unnecessary complications.’
‘Complications?’
‘I’ve met one or two dads in my time,’ Shea said, ‘and there’s always complications. It seems that me and “welcome” don’t get along too well. Now I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I’m sore and I’m tired and I’d like to rest now if you don’t mind.’
‘No, not at all,’ Flick said, and hurried quickly out.
She found herself back outside the cottage wondering what she’d done wrong. Was it the mention of Maggie? Or the Kingsmen, or suggesting he came back to Faringdon? Or maybe she should take him at face value and he was just tired. Perhaps she was just a silly idiot.
On the way back to town she spotted a few rabbits still in the fields, and bagged them almost without thinking. At least dinner was sorted out.
Shea shivered on his makeshift bed. Sometime during the night the fire had gone out and the clear sky had
‘Tuck in!’ said Flick, picking up the loaf again, breaking off a lump and passing it to him.
She watched him eat, noticing the way he wiped the grease off his chin from a piece of cold chicken. He didn’t seem so bad; so what if he was a Scav?
‘Sorry I couldn’t get here yesterday,’ she said. ‘Only the town got invaded by Kingsmen yesterday.’ She watched him closely, looking for any reaction. ‘Apparently they were looking for a runaway Scav. Closed the whole town down; no one in and no one out.’
Was that a reaction? She thought there had been a very slight twitch, or had she imagined it? Or maybe he was very good at controlling his reactions. That wasn’t getting her anywhere.
He smiled. ‘It’s not your fault,’ he said, ‘I did wonder for a while if you would ever come back, and I wouldn’t have blamed you if you didn’t. But you’re here now and that’s what matters.’ He picked at his teeth with a fingernail. ‘Are you sure they said runaway Scav though? Perhaps you misheard and they were looking for a runaway slave? ’
Flick hadn’t considered this. ‘We don’t have slaves round here. At least, I’ve never seen one,’ she said. ‘But they’d be easy to spot with their tattooed faces.’
Shea nodded. ‘Well, they’ve gone now. So either they found who they’re looking for, or they’re looking somewhere else.’
‘So, are you a Scav?’ This is it, Flick thought, moment of truth…
Shea was silent for a moment, looking at Flick intently. ‘Does it matter?’
She flushed. Does it matter? What sort of an answer was that? He didn’t deny it. If he wasn’t a Scav he would have said no, surely.
‘Do you want to come back?’ Flick asked all of a sudden. Where did that come from? ‘The housekeeper is dying to meet you.’ Worse!
‘You have a housekeeper?’
Flick felt flustered. This wasn’t helping and now she was sounding like an idiot. ‘No. The inn has a housekeeper, and I run the inn with my dad. You could stay.’ Better .
‘And the housekeeper is dying to meet me? How many people know I’m here?’
Aargh! I’ve really dug a hole for myself here .
‘Just Maggie–the housekeeper. We’ve been friends since forever and she can keep a secret.’
‘And I’d be staying there as a guest? I’ve got no money.’
Flick nodded. She was wondering now how she could sneak him in. Obviously she’d have to go home and get the trailer for her bike, and then sneak him past the guards on the gate and into the inn without being seen. And then she’d have to explain to her dad why the guest in room five didn’t seem to be paying his bill… Why did she never think of these things before opening her mouth?
‘Thank you for your most generous offer, but I’m okay here,’ Shea said. I’ve got a comfortable bed and a warm fire and a roof–well, nearly a roof, and a nice girl bringing me food. What more could I possibly want? And you don’t want any unnecessary complications.’
‘Complications?’
‘I’ve met one or two dads in my time,’ Shea said, ‘and there’s always complications. It seems that me and “welcome” don’t get along too well. Now I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I’m sore and I’m tired and I’d like to rest now if you don’t mind.’
‘No, not at all,’ Flick said, and hurried quickly out.
She found herself back outside the cottage wondering what she’d done wrong. Was it the mention of Maggie? Or the Kingsmen, or suggesting he came back to Faringdon? Or maybe she should take him at face value and he was just tired. Perhaps she was just a silly idiot.
On the way back to town she spotted a few rabbits still in the fields, and bagged them almost without thinking. At least dinner was sorted out.
Shea shivered on his makeshift bed. Sometime during the night the fire had gone out and the clear sky had
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